GJM supporters celebrate treaty signing

Sukna (WB): Thousands of Gorkha Janmukti
Morcha (GJM) supporters gathered at the Pintal Village, near
here, to witness and celebrate the signing of the tripartite
agreement for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration on Monday.

Clad in traditional dresses, the supporters including
women gathered under the tents erected on the sprawling ground
near the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council bungalow amidst tight
security.

Activists of the GJM women`s wing, Gorkha Nari Morcha,
took to the stage, dancing and singing to celebrate the
occasion.

Many of the supporters were heard shouting slogans
like, `Mamata Banerjee zindabad,` and `Bimal Gurung zindabad,`
while shouts of `we want Gorkhaland,` `we want a separate
state,` were also heard.

"This is a turning point in our movement and not a
permanent settlement. This is only a temporary settlement to
address the basic problem. The separate state issue must not
be a closed chapter," P Arjun, a member of the GJM think tank
16-member Study Forum, said.

Describing the signing of the agreement as the result
of a reciprocal attitude on both sides, Arjun, a former member
of the West Bengal Civil Service, said, "this attitude, which
is demonstrated by Mamata Banerjee, was not displayed by the
previous Left Front government in finding out a solution."

Arjun said GJM president Bimal Gurung would not hold
any position in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

A section of the Gorkha people, however, said it would
have been better if the agreement was signed after demarcation
of the boundaries of the GTA.

The GJM has been demanding inclusion of the Gorkha-
dominated areas of the Dooars and Terai under the GTA.